Hate Is Heavy
by matchamatcha
Summary: Yami uses a card that traps Bakura in another dimension where he has to live in his most painful memory. The group has to decide whether or not to get him out, if they can. Yami wants to do the right thing and is suprised at what this teaches him about himself. Concept inspired by the story Angel In the Black by Wanli8970. Darkshipping. Reads like an indie movie.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Yami and Bakura stood across each other as they had so many times before. Yami gallant Knight. Bakura spiteful storm. The situation was, once again, dire.

"Why should it always be like this."

Yami wondered this to himself quite a bit. He didn't know why Bakura couldn't just let them be. At times it seemed his hatred was limitless but on some days, days that seemed to be all too common recently, he would catch a look in Bakura's eye that betrayed his exhaustion.

The hatred he held in his heart was clearly a burden on him and it was at such a point that his already oppressive occupation of Ryo was leaving physical changes even after he handed back control to the timid teenager. The eye bags were the most noticeable. Least noticeable was the way all his movements had seemed to slow down. He moved as though through thick honey. Cheerful and kind but weighed down by a burden that was not his own.

Yami couldn't have been the only one to notice but nobody seemed to think much of it if they did. He was sure though, Bakura's hate was killing him. Killing him and Ryo both.

But what do you do when you notice a thing like this in your enemy? Maybe that's why nobody was saying anything. But even still Ryo was innocent! How could they let him suffer alongside the thief? Was Ryo's light stronger than the heaviness Bakura carried around himself like smog?

He couldn't think of a reason to feel bad for Bakura other than the fact that he took no pleasure from watching people suffer, even his enemies. Punishment and aggression had always been a grim reality to him. An action taken in defense of the people he loved. He didn't want to fight Bakura but Bakura just kept showing up. How many times had he lost now? A grim thought occurred to him here. Evil need only win once. But he couldn't go so far as to call another person evil. He stayed silent when Jou would make his declarations of hate and Tristan would chime in and they would speak on Bakura's soul like it was bare before them. Like they held the key to the gates of heaven. He didn't think poorly of them for this. It was stranger, he felt, to behave as he was.

His feelings toward the thief were complicated. He didn't like him really. He had just been alive too long and had seen too much. He had a lot of time to reflect on human nature in the puzzle and enough why's to keep him just busy enough to stay lucid. He never found people evil really. He just didn't have it in him to hate and thank god for that. He would loathe putting bags under Yugi's eyes.

No he didn't hate Bakura but that didn't mean he could excuse his actions.

So here they were again. Bakura had enacted some elaborate trap and now the lives of his friends were in danger. They were in the middle of a heated game and Yami was not liking his position at the moment. His life points were dangerously low. He needed to end this game five minutes ago.

It was his turn now and he glanced from Bakura to his deck. Those tired eyes had stopped surprising him by now so they gave him no pause as he reached for his next card. His already knitted brow pulled impossibly tighter at the sight of the card he drew. It was a card he was not fond of using but unfortunately it would most likely mean the end of this game and secure the safety of his friends.

"I activate the golden eye."

Bakura's eyes widened a fraction.

"The eye will now search through your mind and pull your greatest weakness to the field. The damage to your life points will be proportionate to the weakness."

Silence filled the room and that in itself gave away the bizarre and intense nature of this card. There was a small crowd present. Malik Ishtar and his sister Ishizu were there as was Anzu. It was Tristan and Jou that found themselves held hostage this time around. However Bakura had managed it, they were abducted after school. They sat together bound by shadow magic just behind Bakura's platform. Everyone, including the usually rambunctious duo, was watching in rapt attention which was not unusual really for this tense moment. What made this moment feel severe was Bakura's silence not theirs. Normally some aggressively overconfident comment would be thrown Yami's way. Maybe a quip about not having any weaknesses. This was really quite unusual and he began to feel with sinking clarity that he would not enjoy what was about to happen.

A golden eye hovered on the playing field. It was shut at first and perfectly spherical except for the slight protrusion where the top and bottom lid met. It stayed closed for the length of an anxious heartbeat before snapping open with violent speed. The pupil of the eye contracted and from it shot a gold light that connected squarely with Bakura's forehead.

It must have only been seconds, realistically speaking, before the eye shut just as violently as it opened. Immediately it began to vibrate and both Yami and Bakura watched it with barely concealed trepidation. The eye vanished slowly and in it place rose an image of a village. Yami didn't recognize it but Bakura most certainly did and began gripping the stand in front of him as though he were already in pain and certainly it would only get worse from here. They were speaking in Egyptian and Yami felt a peculiar wave of nostalgia mix with the dread in his stomach.

What began as a normal scene quickly turned into confusion. Armed men rode in on horses. Armed men Yami recognized. People were being mowed down left and right. Houses were lit on fire. People were being smoked out onto the street to be eradicated. It was terrible.

The room filled with the sounds of metal slicing through the innocent. People were screaming, children were crying, soldiers were yelling. Through the chaos emerged a woman. She was about middle aged and clutching her chest as she limped. Blood soaked the rags she wore. Yami felt his whole body tense when she and Bakura locked eyes. The mirage filled the whole playing field for the moment and she drew herself to the edge of the board to stand directly before the thief. Bakura's whole body was visibly shaking.

"Akefia!" She cried. It hurt to listen to. It was desperate and more a wail than anything else.

"Akefia!" She only seemed capable of saying this and as the bloody scene raged on behind her she was left untouched. Here she was, the concentration of this gruesome mirage. The mascot of Bakura's pain. Yami's attack. Yami's doing.

She reached as far forward as she could still screaming Bakura's Egyptian name. Most people couldn't bear to watch the scene unfolding on the board and once they had satisfied their curiosity, turned their eyes to the thief.

What would he do?

Honestly he didn't look to be in good shape. He removed his hands from their white knuckle grip on the stand and he took a shaky step to the side of his podium. He was under the spell of this card and Yami dare not wake him, for his friends sake. Instead he watched with bated breath like the others. Bakura neared the edge of the field and stood face to face with the wailing woman. She was still reaching for him so he placed his hand in hers and at their contact, a golden light consumed the room.

Most had tried to shield their eyes and everyone was disoriented. When Yami gathered his senses he scanned the room for Bakura. Briefly he registered that Bakura's LP had been depleted and heard rather than saw that Tristan and Jou had been released. He gathered his cards and went to Bakura's side of the small dueling stage followed closely by Anzu. There they found Bakura on the floor. Well to be more precise, they found Ryo who Yami hoped had passed through the ordeal mostly unharmed.

Anzu ran to get water and everyone else slowly made their way over. The intensity of the scene they had just watched put a blanket over them. It was Yami that first broke the silence.

"Those were definitely palace soldiers" he said with his eyes trained on the boy lying on the floor.

Ishizu looked as though she wanted to speak. Something about the look on her face told him he didn't want to hear it so he didn't prompt her with any questioning. Ishizu had an uncanny connection to the divine and she shared her knowledge sparingly so it was foolish to avoid it when it was in front of you but, even still, he couldn't pretend to be enthusiastic at the moment.

Yami didn't get to sit in his self indulgent silence for long anyway. After her moment of initial hesitation she gathered herself and came down to kneel beside the pharaoh.

"What do you know of how your father and his priest constructed the millenium items?"

Yami looked up at her in encouragement but didn't speak.

"The details of the magic are complicated but essentially many lives had to be sacrificed." Yami averted his eyes to stare once again at the pale boy. "Your father ordered the slaughter of remote and poor villages to fuel his crusade and . . . It seems like Bakura was from one of those villages."

A lot made sense at that. Yami was upset to hear it but by no means surprised.

Anzu returned with the water and after a few minutes Ryo had regained consciousness. It was lucky because nobody wanted to look after him and risk letting Bakura loose in their home.

Ryo offered his usual tearful apology and Yami wanted to give control back to Yugi. Everyone gave him their forgiveness and reassured him that they knew he had no control over his actions but Yami couldn't concentrate. He had a bad feeling and had to settle it before he allowed Yugi to take the reins again.

Once the tearful declarations were over and everyone began shuffling towards the exit of this warehouse, Yami noticed Ryo hanging back.

"Is something wrong?"

Ryo jumped and met Yami's eyes looking perplexed and exhausted.

"I can't feel him."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't feel him. I can't feel Bakura. " By now everyone else had stopped as well. "Normally, even when he's not talking to me or controlling me, I can feel his presence. I can tell he's there. I can't feel anything."

Ishizu glided through the collection of perplexed teenagers and put her hands on the ring. She stood there in concentration for a few moments before she raised her head, understanding plain on her face.

"This may not be typical of your card Yami, but it seems Bakura was sucked into the vision of his weakness."

Yami found this immediately perplexing and pushed down the shot of guilt that electrified his chest before responding.

"I try to avoid using this card but I've never seen anything like that happen. Are you sure?"

She nodded looking severe. "Bakura had an extremely powerful weakness. Well it would be more accurate to say he surrendered power to that weakness. Knowing what it is we can see how its motivated his actions for almost his whole life. It has such a strong hold over him . . . and he doesn't have a body holding him to this earth. He must have been pulled into the illusion."

Jou stepped up. "You mean that that bastard is finally gone?!"

"He is trapped within the card"

Jou looked incredulous. "So we're free. We're done." He clapped Ryo on the shoulder "Your free!"

They ought to be happy but everyone was mostly shocked. They exited in a daze and went their separate ways.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_Yami is everything alright?_

It was late at night and Yugi was in bed. He'd have been sleeping if it weren't for the fact that he could feel Yami's restless energy seeping through the mindlink. He had a guess as to what was causing it.

_Aibou, I'm sorry to keep you up. I've been trying to settle my thoughts since we got home but . . ._

_It's about Bakura isn't it?_

Yami thought briefly that if he had Yugi's body right now, he would probably be feeling that familiar shot of guilt in his chest.

Things had been normal when everyone left the warehouse that day. They went home, they ate dinner, Yugi worked on homework and Yami looked on; but through everything Yami kept remembering that village and wondering what becomes of a person who hurts others and whether guilt was inherited. If it was, it couldn't have been inherited through the body, he was certain he felt this heaviness in his soul.

_I don't think it's right for us to leave him in that realm Yugi. And honestly I'm not sure why I didn't say anything when we were all together. _

Yugi was silent for a moment. Normally he was not an advocate for leaving people behind either and he had felt conflicted as everyone said their farewells that day. It was just that everyone had noticed the toll Bakura was taking on Ryo and he kept provoking and attacking them so insistently that, even though it didn't feel good, Yugi had to wonder if it wasn't for the best. He couldn't see how to end Bakura's antics otherwise.

_Do you think we should let him out? Didn't he find his way out of the shadow realm before? _

Yugi didn't know how these realms worked if he was being honest, but what could be so different between these two weird dimensions? Most of him did not think Bakura would be there long.

_I just . . . I think it's because of that village. Those were definitely my fathers men. I know that I'm not responsible for what he did and this doesn't change the fact that Bakura is dangerous but I feel off about this whole thing. _

He was becoming increasingly more anxious as he spoke and Yugi decided it was best not to respond yet. He stared at his bedroom ceiling hoping his calm was contagious.

It was, and Yami felt his thoughts settle.

_Putting him in the shadow realm doesn't feel as cruel. . . . I may not have been involved in my father's crimes . . . But it feels only just that I should try to heal in some way, the wounds that he inflicted on our people and stop this cruelty that my father started from haunting this lifetime. _

_Do you feel like letting Bakura out will do that? _

Yami's tentative calm wavered at this and he felt overwhelmed by what he did not know. He wished he remembered more than bits and pieces from his past and he wished there was some way to do this without jeopardizing the people he cared about and he wished he knew whether he was doing this for Bakura or himself or a people that died thousands of years ago.

_I don't know . . . I don't know. _

They were both silent for some time. Yami's agitation meeting and mixing with Yugi's calm and caring energy.

_Let's get everyone together tomorrow. we should see how Ryo's doing anyway. _

The relief at having a plan washed over both of them, putting them to sleep.

The next day found the gang plus Ryo clustered around Yugi's kitchen table. Jou was helping himself to what was in the fridge; knocking things over and making noise while he set about making a sandwich. Yami, having more to say on the reason that they were all together today, was in control of Yugi's body for the moment.

Everyone was talking at once about assignments, teachers, and the pros and cons of large dogs. After a while Anzu turned her attention to Ryo, who hadn't said much of anything.

"How are you feeling Ryo?"

Everyone quieted down to hear his response. It seemed only right to make space for a boy like him. He was so gentle and so pitied by everyone. They all felt that they had not done enough for him and yet he was unyieldingly kind which filled them with guilt. His voice was soft but never unheard.

"It is . . . Nice to know that I'm in control of all my actions . . . It feels good to be apart I guess but I don't think I wanted it to be like this exactly."

Yami watched the boy intensely and Anzu continued talking, oblivious to how the stare was making Ryo a bit uncomfortable. Yami latched onto Ryo's choice of words right away and in his head he kept thinking: "Like what?" He had no idea how Ryo would react to being separated. He imagined the boy would be happy or maybe more accurately relieved. It had troubled him last night to think of what it might be like to lose his connection to Yugi in a such a way.

"You shouldn't feel bad about what happened to him. It's not your fault he did what he did and even Ishizu said the card only pulled him in because he gave that memory power over him"

"I know, but for something like that . . . You saw that village right? I can get how it might've been kind of hard to move on."

Jou bristled.

"So many people come from terrible experiences and I'd say most people _do_ move on."

Ryo was surprised by Jou's intensity so he bit his tongue. It didn't feel like this was the first time this argument had come up for Jou to be honest. It was Anzu who spoke next.

"What do you think it's like? Inside that card?"

Everyone suspected the same thing, that he was living within that burning village, but nobody wanted to say it.

Yami was feeling the anxiety of the night before creep back up again. He knew nobody would jump on the idea of bringing Bakura back, that was no surprise, but he was beginning to realize that he had made up his mind. He wanted to hear everyone out, he wanted to talk about it, but it was only to work out the "how" and not the "how come". Obviously he wanted to make sure nobody got hurt. Ideally everyone would be happy. There was just this voice in him sometimes. He never heard it directly, it was like when you miss what someone said and then realize you know what they said moments later. It was the same intuition that told him to trust his cards. It was a faith he had carried with him since he could remember. He realized that he had to do it but had no idea how to explain this feeling and wasn't sure it would be enough for his friends even if he could.

Now Ryo was the one watching Yami and it moved him from his thoughts.

"I actually wanted to talk about this with all of you." He began. "It doesn't sit right with my soul to leave him in a place like that."

"Are you kidding?" It was Jou. "After all he put us through? Do you really want to let him out so he can try something again? So he can keep mistreating Ryo? I mean, Ryo, he was a dick to you. Don't you want him to suffer?"

"Jou" Anzu's tone was firm and though it didn't settle him down really, it did get him to stop talking.

"Well I'm angry, of course I'm angry." All eyes turned to Ryo. His voice was restrained but you could hear his exasperation. "Who would enjoy being treated like this? I don't want to see him and I don't want him back in my life. I'm not so far gone that I want him around. But I don't want to hurt him." He said this uncertainly almost like he might immediately take it back. His friends thought it was out of indecision. In reality though he was afraid. He didn't want to sound weak. He didn't want to sound dumb or like a willing victim because he wasn't like Jou and didn't want Bakura hurt. It's just that he barely had the stomach for any of this from the start. He wanted to be happy, not to take up a life exacting revenge. Besides they didn't understand the full scope of the issue that the thief's entrapment presented him with.

"I mean we do share a mind link don't we. He was already hurting and, no, I'm not saying that makes anything ok or anything like that." He knew where this had to end but didn't know how to get there and they were all infuriatingly quiet and listening so closely he felt like a child before them and resented acting the part. The rest came out without Ryo really even hearing it.

"I guess I'm being selfish. He didn't like to share his thoughts with me but there wasn't much he could do to hide his feelings. I had to shoulder his pain too and even now I still feel his pain. I'm still shouldering it. _I_ keep seeing that village now. _I _keep hearing their voices. That village is haunting me. If I have to deal with it, I will, but even if nothing else changes . . . I just want him to let go of this. I don't want him to suffer. Even if it's just because I'll end up suffering too. I just want him to leave me alone."

The mind link, god, Yami had assumed it broke when Bakura was forced from Ryo's body. They could excuse cruelty towards Bakura but to make a friend suffer? Yami finally had his moment. Pushing aside the disquiet that arose in him after Ryo's speech, teenagers probably shouldn't ever have to talk like that, he took advantage of the silence that had taken the room.

"Let's talk to Ishizu."


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far! Really enjoying writing this, I love these two. Even though I've made things tough for them so far . . . Sort of a short chapter.

Chapter 3

One crowded subway ride later and they were at Ishizu's apartment. The whole place smelled like Jasmine and felt clean and fresh. It made you want to lie down on the floor but their manners ushered them to the couches instead.

Once everyone got settled they began explaining Ryo's predicament. Ishizu looked very concerned but held herself still and dignified. She had a subtly expressive face which was serving as a comfort now in her silence.

With Ishizu caught up they could now start to get answers. They could only hope her knowledge of the esoteric covered phantom villages.

"We want to know first if there's anyway to keep Ryo from experiencing these visions or to maybe sever the connection they have."

Yami was trying to be polite and diplomatic by not asking the question he really cared about right away, but everyone seemed to hear it anyway. Not that they said anything.

"If I connect with Ryo I should be able to get a sense of the mind link and understand what's going on with Bakura as well. I think this should be our first step. We need as much information as we can gather before we go recklessly tampering with soulbonds."

She stood up rather decisively and kneeled in front of Ryo who did his very best to not look uncomfortable at the invasion of his space. She put her hands on the sides of his head and pulled him down into a slouch so they were closer to eye level with each other.

"Close your eyes and picture for me the visions that you've been seeing."

She closed her eyes as well and didn't speak for some time. Whatever she was learning made her take in a breath but otherwise she sat still like she was rooted to the ground.

"Now picture for me Bakura. Think of your interactions together."

Again she went silent only this time without even a gasp for the onlookers to latch onto.

The silence was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable if they were being honest. The group was already on edge. Jou found himself wishing Bakura had won that game yesterday. He was sure he'd have been able to find some other way out of the trap and then at least things wouldn't be so complicated. Yami was clearly on one of his moral crusades at this point so nobody had been able to talk to Yugi today, which was a shame.

He was sure Yugi agreed with Yami's actions, that wasn't a concern, but Yami's energy could at times feel a bit like a hammer. He was calm but driven and his resilient, honestly relentless, faith in his actions and decisions could really wear a guy out.

Finally Ishizu pulled away and returned to her original seat.

"The nature of the link is complicated. I don't believe we will be able to sever it without doing more harm than good."

Nobody wanted to hear that and the energy of the room certainly felt a little less than enthusiastic.

"The only way to stop these visions is to get Bakura to let go of them, effectively freeing him from the card, or to sever the connection and risk compromising Ryo himself and his physical body."

You could see her last words hitting the teens as they shifted in their seats, startled. She was getting ready to continue but Tristan interrupted. He'd been mostly silent on today's subject so far. He didn't entirely understand all this spiritual stuff but he figured he would eventually. Either that or it would resolve itself so he wouldn't have to. Still he could read a room and it was never a good sign if Anzu was as lost as he was.

"Why would it hurt Ryo to sever the bond?"

Ishizu sighed at his tone. He sounded incredulous. As if being connected soul to soul was something you could just switch off. But she knew to temper her response. To her things like this just made sense. She didn't always know how, or even remember, to break things down but she realized that it was important that she at least tried.

"Well it's like this, we all have strings that connect us to different people right?"

"Sure I guess"

That tone again.

"There are romantic strings and strings of friendship and of family. Bakura and Ryo share a different string though, much stronger in connection. It allows them to feel what the other is feeling and see what they're seeing. Most importantly though it allows them to share Ryo's body. Some very important parts of Ryo's mind and body are in a thread connecting the two of them. Where regular threads are thin and usually singular maybe going up to a few wound together, the soulbond connection consists of many threads wrapped tightly around each other. I wouldn't be capable of rooting out just the parts causing Ryo distress so I'd have to sever them all and it would likely cause him physical pain and certainly affect his personality, his capacity for empathy, and who knows what else."

"Oh"

"Oh indeed"

Yami was growing a bit impatient. He had had only one thing on his mind since he got there.

"So how would we go about getting him to let go of the vision."

Ishizu cracked a small smile.

"I feel almost as though you know already. But before I go into it, it will be very difficult and there is no guarantee of success. This _is_ the spirit of the ring we're dealing with isn't it."

Yami felt like she might be talking about that voice he heard sometimes. He could say that he _did_ know he should help but in no way did he feel like he knew how. Unfortunately he hadn't heard the instructions for how to spirit travel into one of his playing cards whispered at the edge of his attention so he waited for her to elaborate.

"You, being the only person without a body, can easily follow Bakura to that realm. There you would have to convince him to leave which, as I'm saying it, sounds deceptively simple. He's been motivated by this his whole life. He will not want to leave. That's the only reason he's still there. If you went but could not convince him you couldn't force him back. You would have to return empty handed."

"Do you need anything special to send me there?"

"Just the card"

"Then what are we waiting for."

Within seconds Yami had fished the card from his deck and passed it to her. Before doing anything else Ishizu told Yami that to get home he would only need to picture himself home in true Wizard of Oz fashion. Yami did not understand the Wizard of Oz reference but the directions were simple enough.

Finally, Ishizu held it out in front of her and whispered something nobody could quite make out. Astonishingly, almost as though they were playing with all their equipment, the same eye appeared in front of them. This time however it was much smaller. It hovered just above the playing card. In the very same fashion as before the eye snapped open and a beam of light landed on Yami's forehead. This time there was no vision and everyone was relieved to not have to revisit the scene from yesterday. The eye closed and immediately filled the room with a now unfortunately familiar golden light.

When it faded and everyone collected themselves, all eyes were on Yugi. They knew at once it was him because the way the two held themselves was just too different to confuse. Still Anzu asked anyway.

"Did it work?"

Yugi frowned before nodding his head. Yami definitely wasn't with him anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yami was sweating. The sun was intense and there was little shade. He didn't know what to make of the scene he had been thrust into. It was the right village, hopefully, but much fuller. They had seen only what could fit onto the playing field last time so obviously it would be bigger. What didn't make sense was the entirely normal day he was witnessing. Kids were chasing each other, people were holding conversations on doorsteps, and the smell of food blanketed the street. Everyone spoke Egyptian but it must have been a dialect because Yami was having trouble with some of it.

He had landed right in the center of town. After examining himself to make sure he was in one piece he was relieved to see that he was wearing clothes that fit the period. He wore a short white robe with a blue fabric tied around the waist. His hair was wrapped up in a turban and he suspected that Bakura wouldn't be able to recognize him because of that alone. Considering he didn't know how Bakura would take Yami's presence there he imagined that was a good thing. His camouflage might not do him much good, though, considering how pale he was.

The sun was really starting to wear him down and, after checking his pockets and finding he had no conveniently placed pocket change for water or fruit, decided to begin looking for Bakura. The only problem with that was that he had no idea how to start. There was a lot of ground to cover. The thought occurred to him to just ask someone if they'd seen the man. These seemed like close knit people and he was pretty sure this was an illusion and not actually a portal to the past so hopefully he couldn't mess anything up.

He walked up to an old man selling dried meat.

"Excuse me sir, have you seen a man about my height with white hair walking around?"

It shocked him a bit to hear himself speak in his old language. His memory of it was there, sure, but there were few reasons to speak ancient Egyptian on the streets of modern day Japan. He almost didn't feel like himself but the language was certainly a part of him. It distracted him a bit to think that the person he used to be felt like a costume now, when he was really back in Egypt. He had felt more authentic in Japan it seemed and his missing memories didn't help.

The man eyed him distrustfully.

"No I haven't. Is he from here? Or just passing through?"

"I'm not sure." Yami paused wondering how much information was too much. "Do you know someone called Akefia?"

The man's whole demeanor changed and he let out a laugh. Yami was careful not to show too much of a reaction but it did startle him.

"Has that brat caused you any trouble?"

"Oh no, nothing serious! Uh, but if you could point me to where he lives that would be perfect."

The man ended up being very helpful and Yami followed his directions out of the center of town towards an area with fewer shopping stalls. He honestly couldn't believe his luck. Either that man knew a Bakura personally or Bakura was a known troublemaker. The second one seemed more likely as he recalled the way the trader had laughed.

It seemed Bakura was his visitor's pass. His stamp of approval. It brought a dry smile to his face.

Eventually, he neared a house with three women standing outside the door having a conversation.

Immediately he recognized the dark haired woman as the one who had called Bakura into the vision. It was strange but a relief to see her well. She was flanked by a woman probably in her 30s with golden hair and another woman with short brown hair, maybe mid 20s, and unusually large eyes.

"Excuse me."

They stopped their conversation for the most part but continued whispering to themselves as he approached. Most likely they were whispering about him but he ignored it.

"I was looking for Akefia. Does he live around here?"

The black haired woman sighed theatrically and walked into the house she had been in front of. Through the door Yami heard her begin to speak.

"What has he done this time! Oh why am I even asking, look at you, he's definitely stolen something. Are you a traveling merchant? I've never seen you before."

Yami had hesitated at the door but the other two women guided him in. They all took seats at the kitchen table. The black haired woman pacing about the small house a bit first. Picking up a rag or a crude looking toy here and there and tucking them away.

He didn't know what she meant by "look at you" but apparently he wasn't blending in as well as he thought.

The women were looking at him expectantly.

"Yes I was just passing through. He didn't steal anything too important but I thought I should at least look into it. I'm not planning to leave town for a bit after all."

The golden haired woman laughed.

"Akefia has the stickiest fingers in this whole village! He's better than even adult pickpockets. Even if people don't see him do it, when things go missing it's the running joke to say Akefia took it! Sounds like you got off easy if it wasn't important!"

Yami nodded politely but this woman was a bit overbearing for him particularly considering he _just_ sat down. She leaned forward on the table as she spoke.

"My name is Ani, this is Hasina, and she's Hotep."

She gestured to herself, the brown haired girl and the black haired woman in turn.

"Hotep takes care of a lot of the kids around here."

"Do you take care of Akefia?"

Maybe he had originally planned to find Bakura right away but why should he go into this blind? He felt researching his opponent was only fair game. After all, Bakura seemed to know quite a bit about Yami.

"Well I try to!" Hotep sighed.

Clearly she also had a flair for the dramatic. Her theatrics were a bit more nuanced than Ani's though so she came off warmer and Yami found himself smiling at the thought of her with a young Bakura.

"That little boy is such a handful! I don't even know where he is right now."

"Do you mind if I ask why he lives here? Are you his relative?"

"No, no, his mother got pregnant out of wedlock. She was such a frail thing nobody knew how she'd make it through the birth and unfortunately she didn't."

Ani squirmed in her seat, the talk of death affecting her immediately. Hasina sat still and silent which was so far the only thing she had done since Yami entered the house.

"It seems not to have affected his spirit."

Yami hoped to steer the conversation towards something useful but also didn't know what something useful would be.

"Most of the children I look after here have similar stories but none are quite so tricky or dramatic as he is."

"Dramatic?"

Ani chimed in revived by the subject change.

"Oh he's so prideful! Most of the time we know he's stolen something because we catch him showing it off. Oh! I have to tell you about the time he fell in love with a little girl across town! We don't even know how he did this but he stole perfume to give her as a gift and then she turned him down! We didn't hear the end of it for weeks! All he talked about was falling out of favor with the gods and how he must have offended Hathor!"

Hasina spoke for the first time with a sweet timid smile on her face.

"He's such a sweet talker I really thought she'd fall for him."

"But he didn't account for the boy who lived next door to her! She had quite a few admirers it seemed."

With Hotep's addition to the story the women broke out into a laugh that Yami couldn't help but join them in. He figured Bakura had been a normal child before his home was taken from him but this was surreal. He wondered if he could bring back that Bakura and be able to ask him candidly about Egypt and the things he didn't remember. It occurred to him that happiness might feel to Bakura like Egyptian did to himself. Like a part of you that you don't have the right to own.

Why was he even talking about happiness though? His goal was to bring Bakura out of this vision not to be his therapist. And what made him think he could change the thief anyway?

A knock on the door interrupted Yami's thoughts. Hotep rose to open it and Yami frowned. Playtime was over it seemed.

Standing there in a flamboyant red robe and blue skirt was Bakura and he did not look happy at all.

He stormed in and Yami stood, ready to defend himself. Bakura grabbed his arm and yanked him towards the door grunting an "excuse us" as he pushed past Hotep.

Once outside Yami fought the urge to pull his arm from Bakura's grip, reminding himself that he was trying to win the man over and so should be on his best behavior. Bakura pulled Yami around houses till they were out of sight of the three women who were now craning their necks to see what was going on. Once he was convinced they had some privacy Bakura let go of Yami, in as aggressive a manner as he could manage, and began his interrogation.

"What the _fuck _are you doing here Pharaoh?"

Aside from his anger the man looked unharmed. Was this vision really so bad?

"I came to get you."

"What?"

"I came to get you. I came to let you out."

Bakura was in disbelief. He stared the Pharaoh down, sure he was lying. Unfortunately Bakura recognized that set of his jaw from when he would give his speeches about the cards and faith and friends.

"You've lost your mind."

For a moment neither of them said anything. Yami seemed to not have a plan for this part or maybe he just realized how he sounded. The thief king didn't wait for him to regroup.

"Go home. You don't belong here."

"Neither do you. This is just an illusion, it's not your home."

Bakura had not been in a good mood since walking through town and being stopped by an old man to hear that "a posh looking pale fellow" was looking for him. He was in a worse mood when he realized the man had told "the fellow" where his family was. He was in an even worse mood when he opened the door to Hotep's place to find Yami gossiping with them like a friend. Now after all of this, the Pharaoh had the audacity to talk to him like he was stupid. Of course this was not his village. That was obvious. But it was the closest he would ever get to it now. His last chance at belonging.

He'd never say it out loud, but he hated the Pharaoh for a different reason these days. He hated that he was the only thing Bakura had. Destroy the Pharaoh. That was it. He had nothing else to do with his day, with this second life he had been given, in this new world. He hated living for hate but there was nothing left. Somehow he felt more righteous back in Egypt before being trapped in the ring. Back then there were people who remembered the injustices done to the little villages sacrificed in the name of black magic. There were people on his side. Not everyone respected the royal family.

Of course now he was alone. Nobody remembered Kul Elna and nobody felt oppressed by this lone royal. He never had everyone on his side but he used to be considered a vigilante not a villain.

He had been finding it harder and harder to control Ryo's body too. It was so weak. He figured it was the boy's distress that was wearing it down. Bakura felt that they existed as predator and prey in one body. Nothing tied the pair to peace and he could feel this at all times.

Worst of all by far was the fact that he could tell that Yami noticed. He could tell that all of Ryo's little friends noticed. He was losing control of the situation and he _hated_ looking weak. It had been bad during the last duel. Yami looked like he was being forced to fight someone helpless. Bakura had been called many things before but helpless was never one of them.

It was infuriating.

"In case you've forgotten Pharaoh, I do not have a home."

"Neither of us have a place to go back to in Egypt Bakura. Why can't you just make a home in Domino?"

"What and sit around with teenagers all day? Twiddle my thumbs in my soul room? I actually enjoy being able to stretch my legs here thank you very much. Just go home. Isn't this what you wanted? I'm out of your hair I'll stay here."

Yami paused at that. It was actually really nice here. The people were warm. Everyone spoke Egyptian. It never got as cold as Domino (presumably). But something was definitely not right. How was Ryo getting all these visions of doom and destruction if the village looked like this. There was no way this vision was as harmless as it seemed.

Shelving that thought for a moment, Yami decided to try to assess the damage. He would figure out just how tightly Bakura was tied to this place.

"Do these people recognize you?"

"I am not here to talk. Go. Get out."

It didn't go over Yami's head that Bakura avoided the question.

"There's another reason I came."

Bakura said nothing, his pride not allowing him to ask what it was.

"Ryo is experiencing the vision as well because of your mind link. As long as you're in here he's suffering from the image of this burning village."

Bakura paused for a moment. He hadn't really thought about what would happen to Ryo. Honestly he had tried not to. Ryo was just an unfortunate casualty of his cause. He never planned to mistreat him and took no pleasure from it. But at this point he was feeling defeated. His last shred of dignity was tied up in this place. If he could live with this haunting memory then he guessed Ryo would have to as well.

"Well at least it's not like Ryo knows any of these people."

Yami frowned. Using Ryo had been a shot in the dark but Bakura didn't look at all remorseful. He didn't look anything really. He stayed firm and defensive. His anger though didn't have the bite that Yami expected.

"You don't have to know someone to not want to watch them die."

"Look I'm not coming with you Yami but, hey, now you can tell all your little friends that you _tried_ and you wanted to do the right thing but the evil old Thief King wouldn't have it and then you can all suck each other off or whatever it is you do."

As soon as he finished saying that Bakura began walking back into town. After a moment of hesitation Yami followed. Bakura's pace was brisk and steadily increasing. He began weaving through the streets effortlessly. Yami was no match.

Still, though, he was no quitter. He kept running and running even though he eventually lost sight of the thief. Finally he could take no more and took a seat on the ground.

What was going on with Bakura that his best move, or at least his first move, was to run. Was it possible that Yami already had him on the ropes?

Bakura should have the advantage here he thought but then he remembered this place was Bakura's weakness so that wouldn't make sense. Still he was becoming intrigued by the concept of a battle of wills that had nothing to do with anyone getting hurt. This could be interesting.

Despite this, another part of him felt guilty for forcing Bakura out. Was this really for Bakura or was he trying to keep his father's crimes from tainting what few memories he had of his past?

He thought back to the women and how they talked about Bakura and he tried to imagine the thief as happy. It filled him with doubt about whether or not he could help but he had to remember Ryo and he had to remember the voice that told him to come here in the first place.

He was allowing himself to get distracted so he stood, thinking he would look for Bakura. As he began though he heard it. The first cry. The smell of smoke. He started to run.

Chasing Bakura had thoroughly turned him around and he didn't remember how to get out of town. The guards hadn't made it to where he was yet but the scene was getting more and more frantic.

The vision must include the entire day not just the attack he realized. At least now he knew why Ryo was still seeing these terrible visions.

Screams were filling the air and Yami encountered his first guard. He immediately turned down a narrow alley between two small houses. It seemed luck was on his side. He knew he should probably go back to Domino now that things were so violent. He knew but he just kept running and didn't put much thought into it. He was already exhausted from chasing Bakura around town but luckily the adrenaline kept him from slowing down.

Suddenly he found himself in front of the house from before and it seemed he had succeeded, in however a roundabout way, at finding Bakura. The man was lying on the ground in front of the house that just hours before Hotep had welcomed Yami into. Now it was burning and, mercifully perhaps, the women from before were nowhere to be seen.

He checked briefly to see if there were any guards and, seeing none, charged forward. Bakura lay face down so Yami turned him over as he scanned him for injuries. He had one gash on his shoulder and seemed to be breathing but unconscious.

Making a split second decision Yami hoisted Bakura's body over his shoulder. He could remember the path from here to the edge of town and very carefully made his way there.

Once he cleared the homes he kept going. He kept going till smoke was no longer thick in the air and till he could cover the image of the burning city with his hand. He was lucky to come upon a shack. It wasn't much. The wooden panels didn't touch and were there a breeze it would cut right through them. A piece of fabric made up the door. There was no furniture and it was just barely wide enough to lay down in. But it would have to do.

He put Bakura down as carefully as he could and took his turban off, tearing a piece to tie around the wound on the thief's shoulder.

Seeing Bakura like this was unpleasant. Thoroughly and decidedly unpleasant. When he was awake you could get a hint at the man's desperation. You could tell he wasn't right. Angry, indignant, petulant; that was how the thief normally came across to Yami during their duels. But now, unguarded and without his normal posturing, the man just looked defeated and sickly.

He was pale already but it was noticeably worse than it should be, something the contrasting red of his blood made more apparent. The bags under his eyes were dark and he looked much too thin. It made Yami uncomfortable to say the least. He looked like an exposed wound.

It wasn't long before Bakura woke up with a start making Yami jump.

"Where are we?"

"Outside of the village."

Bakura sat up and abruptly fell back down, dizzy. He could see the door from where he was though so Yami cracked the curtain open to give him a view of the fire in the distance. It had been evening when all this started but now it was dark and the fire stood out in the night. Thankfully, Bakura didn't try to run and instead resigned himself to the floor after getting his bearings. The disconcerting "exposed wound" look from before was finally gone now that he was conscious and Yami was grateful for it.

Yami had a lot he wanted to talk about with the thief but decided to choose his next words carefully. He didn't want another running situation so he knew he should keep things light. As light as he could next to his enemy of over 3,000 years and within walking distance of the slaughter of that enemies people.

First he was going to ask what happened to his arm but that felt invasive. He gathered Bakura was trying to defend his home given that's where he was lying. He kept coming up with questions and then thinking the better of it. Nothing felt appropriate so he settled into the silence instead.

They stayed that way for some time. Bakura laying down and Yami sitting by the door. Eventually Yami started falling asleep. His head would drop and the movement would wake him up so he would sit up straight before starting to drift into sleep again restarting the cycle.

"Y'know I could just be waiting for you to sleep so I can kill you."

Yami hadn't even realized Bakura was awake but couldn't bring himself to care. Today had proved exhausting. He wasn't sure Bakura wouldn't try anything but he felt like if he did he would just deal with that in the morning. He was certainly being reckless but Bakura just wasn't registering as a threat right now.

Yami didn't respond, he just continued his cycle of nodding off and waking up.

Eventually he fell asleep for real. It was a black sleep. He dreamt of nothing as he put his fate in the hands of the wounded thief king.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When Yami woke up he was alone in the shack but unharmed. He stood and walked outside looking towards where he expected the ruins of the city to be. What he found however was a city intact.

The vision was on a loop. In the morning everything was fine and the village was normal but at some point in the evening when the sun was beginning to set, the guards would come and this nostalgic day dream would reveal its true colors.

He didn't know how time was moving in here so he wasn't sure if he had been gone for a whole night but decided he had best check in with his friends anyway. He was certain he would not be able to get Bakura to come home just yet.

Yami wanted a way to let Bakura know he'd be back but he didn't have anything to write with so he left, leaving no evidence he had ever been there aside from the remains of his torn turban.

The movement from one world to the next felt easy if a bit disorienting. It was like waking up from a nap you didn't plan to take. When he returned to Yugi it seemed that he was still at Ishizu's house and it looked to be early morning. His presence woke Yugi from his sleep and he gathered everyone together so the Pharaoh could catch them up.

He told them everything he could remember and was shocked to find that Ryo remembered some of it as well. It turned out that Ryo was even hearing some of Bakura's thoughts.

It wasn't a totally unusual thing for the mindlink to do. Normally keeping up a mind wall was easy but during times of stress, even Yami noticed that his wall fell. What normally served as a way to keep some level of privacy would end up getting in the way during a duel or a fight. It allowed them to think as one and coordinate better. It was survival instinct.

That considered, Bakura was regularly in high stress situations now. His fight with Yami and his scuffle with the guards shortly thereafter had both come through to Ryo with ridiculous clarity. He was able to learn more about the thief in one evening than he ever had since becoming the owner of the ring.

Yami began visiting the other world daily. In the beginning he would simply head for Hotep's house and Bakura would inevitably intercept him. He'd grab his arm and steer him away demanding Yami tell him what he wanted and to that Yami would always say: "for you to come back to Domino." It was infuriating for the thief but he knew if he left the Pharaoh alone the man would wind up back at Hotep's and the last thing he wanted was for Yami to feel like he could claim any connection to her. This was Bakura's world. These were his people. This was his Hotep. Yami wasn't allowed to get along with her.

As a result he often allowed the Pharaoh to follow him around the village. Not that Bakura did much of anything. It seemed that Yami's hunch was right, the people here didn't recognize him. Why would they? They had only ever seen Bakura as a child and now, after taking on some of Ryo's traits, he didn't look much like he used to anyway.

So instead of talking to old friends he would make do with eating at their stalls or drinking at the bar. He would settle in amongst the familiar sounds and let himself feel at home without trying to interact because a "who are you" would break the spell. And he got those anyway just walking around. With Yami tagging behind him they made quite an odd pair.

When Bakura was in a particularly talkative mood he took the time to grunt from over his food that Yami looked too posh for this town and that he looked too flashy. That and they were both way too pale.

Bakura didn't normally pay Yami attention while they wandered about the village so he took to making small talk. At first Bakura would get up if Yami tried to talk to people but eventually he got used to it or maybe he just got tired of not finishing his meals.

The Pharaoh tried to keep conversation to light subjects but sometimes Bakura's childhood would come up just because he seemed to be such a presence in the town. Everyone had stories to share, it seemed, and Bakura sat through them with gritted teeth.

Honestly? He loved hearing all these stories. He loved hearing people talk kindly of him. He loved being wanted. He just hated how weak it made him feel. He also hated that they were gone and tried not to think about how there was nobody else left who remembered him this way. Most of all though he hated these things coming up when he was sitting next to the Pharaoh of all people. It was easier to focus on what he hated.

Their ritual after meandering through town was to make it to the shack before the sun began to set. Bakura had made several attempts to change the fate of the night before realizing it was futile. He would grab blankets from a merchant, enough to cover the floor and enough to drape on the wall so he couldn't see the light from the burning city, and they would settle down into silence.

This went on for months and Yami was beside himself. He wasn't particularly stressed out by the visits, what with Bakura usually ignoring him, but he was getting homesick for Domino.

Honestly Yami was rarely home. He'd usually go back before sleeping in the shack to update Yugi and tell him not to worry but it was like a 20-30 minute status report. Sometimes he'd disappear quickly in the morning but he didn't make a habit of it because usually Bakura was gone when he came back and he would be particularly hard to find those days. Sometimes Ryo would spend the night at the game shop both for the company and to check in with Yami whenever he returned.

It was on one of those days, when Yami had lingered with Yugi and Ryo for actually more like a few hours, that their routine finally got shaken up.

When he returned Yami wasn't surprised to see Bakura gone. He began wandering through town hoping to spot that ridiculously bright cloak of his. Almost immediately upon entering the village the sound of a fight drew his attention. It was Bakura causing a scene at the bar they sat at sometimes.

Bakura was clearly drunk and also clearly losing the fight against this other man. The man for his part looked like a regular person and appeared disgusted by Bakura's state (and so early in the morning to boot). Yami ran over and let out a stream of apologies before dragging Bakura to his feet and pulling him to the shack. The walk was long but with the obscenities Bakura was spewing Yami could think of no other place to bring the man.

When they finally arrived Yami set Bakura down as carefully as he could but it didn't end up a very graceful experience.

"Bakura why the fuck are you drunk at this hour?"

Bakura had laid down but propped himself up on his elbows to respond. There was blood on his face from a cut he got on his lip and his hair was more chaotic than usual. He looked like a mess and Yami was uncharacteristically angry about it.

"Is there another hour when you would prefer me to be drunk Pharaoh? . . . After sunset maybe?"

Yami's scowl only deepened.

"What happened in the bar today?"

Bakura plopped back down laying flat on his back. Yami would have none of this today though so he closed in on him. He kneeled next to the thief and pulled him up by the shoulders. Then grabbing hold of his head he forced their eyes to meet. His actions weren't very gentle but they weren't mean either. He was just heavy handed and his touch was unrelenting.

"What happened?"

Bakura seemed to be too gone to care or something because he finally gave in.

"Nothing happened. They were just talking about me again."

Yami stayed silent but kept his hold on Bakura's head and so too on his gaze.

"I hate when people talk about me."

This had gone on much too long. Bakura couldn't take another day of listening to these phantoms. He had been forcing himself to hold onto some dignity while the Pharaoh was there but this morning when he had taken so long . . .

Well he just got angry! He hadn't even thought about it really. He had shut his mind off and upended drink after drink. He watched the world around him buckle and sway and it was a comfort to not stop and focus on any one thing like this wretched Pharaoh was forcing him to now.

"Why? They all love you."

Bakura became suddenly heavier in Yami's arms and he had to readjust to keep him from flopping onto the ground.

"Love . . . Do you hear yourself? This is a ghost town Pharaoh."

Well Yami didn't really know what to say to that so he made himself comfortable and held onto Bakura a bit tighter. It seemed like the thief would pass out soon if only from his exertion in the heat earlier. He'd have to wait for Bakura to sober up to really talk anway.

When Bakura woke up he was disoriented. Suddenly his memory came back and he shot up. His stomach filled with dread and unfortunately also with the very real feeling of nausea.

Yami looked up at him from his spot on the floor unamused.

Before he could say anything Bakura was forced to stumble outside of the shack to throw up. It was dark already and the town was burning again. He stumbled back into the shack and sat with his back against the wall. The two sat in silence for sometime with Bakura holding his head in his hands.

"If you would let . . ."

Yami began but broke off. He wanted to say the right thing here but struggled both to pin down what that was and also to manage his tone.

"If you would let go of revenge and just be honest with everyone back home you could have a new family. You could have people that love you again."

Bakura said nothing.

"Anger takes a lot out of you Bakura. We're tired of being angry too. We're tired of fighting."

"Pharaoh . . ." Bakura slowly moved his hands from his face as he continued but didn't meet Yami's eyes. "You know I wasn't the only one who fought against the palace. But people with power write history and so of course a thief, even the king of thieves would wind up the bad guy."

Something snapped in Yami at that, he had been very patient. He had been religiously visiting the thief. He had been careful about his words. He had followed behind him like a dog. He had been on his best behavior. But Yami was not a saint and hearing Bakura talk like this, like he was the victim in some black and white story of good vs evil, he couldn't take it anymore. When he responded his tone was sharp and he wore one of the faces that he knew must make him look the part of the uppity judgmental Pharaoh. He looked at Bakura disgusted because, at the moment, he was.

"Bakura, what? What on earth are you talking about?"

Immediately Bakura noticed the change in Yami's demeanor and he snapped to attention. He looked at the Pharaoh fully for the first time almost seeming to be comforted by Yami's displeasure. It was more familiar afterall and without a doubt it was better than pity. Who pities an equal?

"Those people in Domino don't know where you or I came from. They don't know what we did or didn't do. I don't have control over them. I'm just interacting. This isn't about history, this is about the present. Everyday where are you? Where? I'm with my friends. You're trying to hurt people. That's all they know."

Bakura was silent once again.

"I get it. Well no, I don't, I'll never know what it's like to live through this. I don't even remember Egypt very well. But I know you're hurt. Why won't you let people help you?"

"Why do you want to help me?"

Yami didn't know how to answer at first, they weren't exactly friends still. Also he wasn't about to talk about his inner voice or his sense of justice, he knew that would sound hollow. He paused for a second but suddenly realized he knew exactly why he wanted to help.

"I don't want to fight anymore. I want to end this and I want you to stop hurting yourself."

Bakura stayed quiet for a long while. The air between them was practically buzzing.

He wanted to stop fighting too. It was humiliating to keep playing a game that he lost every time. It was debasing. But he had nothing to go back to if he returned to Domino.

Still he knew he was nearing his limit in this place.

"If I . . . _were_ to come back with you . . What would happen?"

Yami contemplated his reply for what felt like a long time.

"Look I don't know how long it will take for the others to warm up to you. But I do know that Ryo wants you to let go of this pain. He's very worried."

Bakura jolted at that but tried to hide it. He knew the Pharaoh had no talent for lying but this sounded outrageous.

"Worried? Why?"

"He's learned a lot about you since you've been here, you know it's impossible to always keep the mindwall up. I'd imagine there's still much to work out between you two but you share a soulbond. _He's worried_."

Bakura said nothing else for the rest of the night. He hadn't imagined that more than just images would get through. His understanding of his bond was limited because of the aggressive way he usually handled it.

Yami let him have his space, it was no trial on his part. He settled into his usual spot in the shack though he didn't think he'd be able to fall asleep. He listened to Bakura shifting in the dark till he finally drifted off.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Usually Yami woke up extremely early, Bakura wasn't the type to let him know when he was leaving. He'd taken to being up before sunrise and would sit quietly in the dark. He'd wait for Bakura to wake up and then they'd begin their routine. Today however when Yami woke up Bakura was gone. He was disappointed to say the least.

Yami figured he'd take his time looking though and was about to settle back into sleep before he realized he could see the outline of a figure through the gaps in the wall of the shack. He got up and stepped past the curtain in the door to see Bakura sitting on the ground. He took a seat beside him and, without a reason he could name, wondered if the thief had slept at all.

The silence from the previous night seemed to hang over them still but Bakura showed no desire to go into the village. The sun rose in no time and began beating down on the pair. It was quite uncomfortable but they didn't move. Sitting in it like that made things begin to feel not real. They didn't say it to each other out loud but it was starting to make them feel like they could dissolve then and there. It would certainly bring this whole ordeal to a swifter end. Yami lost track of time and was beginning to think he should just leave the man to his own devices today when, finally, he spoke.

"How exactly do we go back to Domino?"

Yami tried not to get his hopes up in case this was a hypothetical. So his answer was short and his tone was measured.

"Just picture it."

"What?"

"I think of Yugi and his house and our friends. So you would think of Ryo and his apartment, his friends, things that remind you of Domino."

Bakura didn't say anything. The two of them had been staring straight ahead during the exchange, it was easier without looking at each other. This style of conversation didn't suit Yami and he found himself focused intensely on what he could see of Bakura in his peripheral vision.

"Do you want to go back?"

It was only after asking this that he allowed himself to fully look at the man next to him. He looked rough but what else was new. Yami held his breath.

Bakura nodded and Yami had to fight back his urge to just lie down. It was a relief but he couldn't relax till they were both back home.

Pushing down his urge to collapse, Yami nodded to Bakura and the pair closed their eyes.

When Yami woke up he was sitting on the floor of Yugi's room next to Bakura which was odd. He wondered if their Hikari's had been sleeping on the floor. Hearing footsteps rushing up the stairs, he turned towards the door only to come face to face with Ryo and Yugi.

That couldn't be right.

"_Bakura_?"

Ryo had said it across the mind link. The fact that the link was intact gave Bakura some strange comfort even in his confusion and his shock. When they shared a body it seemed obvious that Ryo would accept him back into his life because he had no choice. Now that he was separate, the possibility of rejection immediately occurred to him. The mind link though was something he could hold onto. Something that tied them together. He realized he was afraid of Ryo in that moment and wondered if that too would make it across the link.

Yugi called Ishizu within minutes and she didn't know exactly what was going on either. Ryo took Bakura to his apartment, much to the thief's unspoken relief, and the four of them set about creating a new normal for themselves. This wasn't exactly a problem and they certainly weren't going to undo it so long as nobody was hurt by it.

Yami was actually relieved to have his own body and the gang was excited as well. There was a guest bedroom that Yugi's grandfather let him move into and he felt at home. He literally couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that way.

Things were going well for the Pharaoh. He liked running to the grocery store, he liked being able to choose his clothes, and he liked being able to interact with Yugi and Yugi's friends at the same time.

Despite this though, he was a bit worried about Bakura. Now that Bakura had his own body would his incentive to keep the peace be reduced? Would Ryo be alright? Ryo had become a regular part of the friend group now and everyday he was starting to look brighter. He seemed ok. The bags under his eyes were disappearing and he looked like he'd gained a bit of weight.

Every now and then they'd ask about the thief and it seemed that he was behaving like a model citizen. He wasn't cheerful and bright or anything but he seemed quietly repentant towards Ryo at least. The two of them hadn't really talked about the things Ryo learned through the link while the thief was in the card. Instead Ryo just made space for Bakura in the house. He gave him a room and bought him new clothes and always made food. They developed a certain quiet familiarity with each other.

Everything the Pharaoh knew was second hand information. Ryo never brought the thief around and for good reason. He and the gang had yet to make peace, although they did appreciate that he had stopped coming after them. It was odd to think, though, of this man who plotted and schemed all the time just suddenly sitting around happy to be domesticated. Everyone felt the dust had yet to fully settle. This peace seemed almost too good to be true.

Truth be told, even though everyone was worried about Bakura they were also worried about Yami's investment in Bakura. True, he had brought the man home so maybe he would feel responsible for any damage done but it seemed like the Pharaoh had been a bit distracted lately. Without evil to fend off and with everyone going to school during the day he now had to find ways to spend his time and one of those ways was playing helicopter mom to Ryo and Yugi when they were around.

He was _always_ hovering. He was finding things to do but clearly not enough. Ryo was giving him regular updates, sometimes he was hard pressed to come up with something new to say, but he was too polite to answer with one word replies. Yugi had taken to limiting what he told the Pharaoh because he kept trying to "fix" things but, at least he'd managed to kick his habit of complaining about homework as a consequence. Their only real plan to deal with all this was to distract him with video games and kitchen table duels and it was starting to tire everyone out. They guessed it had been foolish to think there would be no challenges in suddenly getting a body again.

One day Yami was walking home from the grocery store by himself when he spotted that telltale white hairdo. He wondered if it was Ryo and started to get closer before he realized it was Bakura and froze. Not out of fear but of surprise.

He appeared to be thinking about something intensely and Yami was hesitant to interrupt. But, at the same time, he was overwhelmingly curious about what the thief had been up to. It had been almost two months now since they'd gotten back and he hadn't seen the man once. He walked over and took a seat beside him.

If Bakura was surprised he didn't show it and kept staring forward without saying anything.

"How've you been?"

It sounded strange even to him but he didn't know what else to say.

The thief tossed a glance sideways at the Pharaoh before returning his gaze to whatever he was looking at in the distance. They sat in silence again. It reminded Yami of that phantom Egypt.

"Aren't you bored"

Yami was caught off guard by that. He never considered it. Or rather he tried not to consider it, I mean, he didn't want to be ungrateful. He had practically begged Bakura for this ceasefire and he was relieved all his friends were safe. He was really happy with his life and the turn things had taken. But still it seemed like he could offer nothing to the contrary, and not for lack of trying, so he kept his mouth shut.

Bakura actually seemed to smile although it didn't strike Yami as particularly joyful. The thief had been spending day after day at home or wandering around listlessly. He was glad Ryo let him stay but Ryo had a life of his own and friends of his own. He was feeling a bit more like he had lost than like he had agreed to a truce. He was the one for whom life had to change the most in the aftermath. He didn't know what to do with himself and was exhausted just from trying to behave around Ryo.

"Do you want to um . . . Do you want to duel?"

Yami did his best but he couldn't quite land the casual affectation he was after. This scene was just too strange.

Bakura scoffed and Yami thought to himself it was what he deserved for asking, but moments later the thief surprised them both.

"Yeah I guess. . . As long as those brats of yours aren't involved."


	7. Chapter 7

The whole story is rated M but this particular chapter, at the risk of spoiling it a bit, is definitely M. Just a heads up. Also thanks for the kind reviews!

Chapter 7

The two of them began dueling quite frequently in secret. For Bakura it was to protect what little pride he had preserved and for Yami it was so he wouldn't have to explain himself to his friends. Yami won most of the time but every time it was close. Bakura was the only duelist he hung out with that really made him sweat. The thief seemed to like playing despite his losses but every now and then he got bored and wanted to shake things up.

Usually that meant putting money on the game. Yami had been picking up shifts at the game shop but he knew the thief wasn't working so he always wondered where it came from. Normally he wouldn't ask but during this particular duel his curiosity overwhelmed him, which tended to happen a lot around the other man.

"Bakura, where are you getting this money from?"

He asked the question in their native tongue. They tended to speak a mixture of Japanese and Egyptian to each other leaning mostly towards Egyptian.

Bakura didn't respond, choosing instead to arch an eyebrow. His look said "I'm the King of Thieves. Where do you think?"

"I shouldn't have asked."

Yami was actually beginning to get pretty fond of their dynamic. They talked a bit during games, certainly a lot more than they used to. They hadn't quite shared a laugh yet but they'd shared knowing smirks. With these games plus his part time job, he was feeling much more settled down. Bakura also seemed to be settling. Yami heard through Ryo that the thief was finally acting less restrained in the house which was reassuring since it seemed to manifest itself in small shows of trust. Falling asleep on the couch, freely eating from the kitchen both with and without Ryo present, and even developing a taste for modern music. He also seemed to be going out at night, partly to steal as Yami had just learned, but partly to go to bars and the like. Sometimes Bakura didn't spend the night at home, which did worry Ryo a lot till he got him a cell phone.

Yami tried not to show it but he was transfixed by this admission. Nobody had told him he couldn't go out at night but he felt like he shouldn't for some reason. He found himself obsessing over what kind of life Bakura led. He felt odd asking about it during their games so he just watched Netflix and tried to piece it together from there. Predictably, seeing bars and clubs on Netflix only made him want to go much more intensely.

It's for this reason that, when he heard Jou and Tristan talking about going out one friday after the arcade, he decided he wanted to tag along. He had tried to sound indifferent and claimed he wanted to go because he had never seen modern nightlife. The teens had shared a look that said they in no way believed he had seen ancient nightlife either but they were enthusiastic about him coming along as it was a great opportunity for them to do something for their friend that didn't involve anymore games. It was a strange thought to be honest, they had trouble picturing the straight backed Pharaoh in a bar. So far he hadn't hovered over anyone else the way he did Ryo and Yugi so they felt relatively comfortable that that wouldn't be an issue but they would probably still feel like they had to restrain themselves just a bit.

Of course since he didn't have an ID he couldn't come along that very night but, without discussing the legality of the matter with Yami, Jou and Tristan snapped a picture of him to use for next time. That's how Yami found himself entering a dimly lit crowded nightclub flanked by the two rambunctious teens not too much later.

It was loud, the floor was sticky, and it was very crowded. It was overwhelming even with Jou and Tristan creating a small bubble of familiarity around him. It became quickly apparent that he did not know how to dance to modern music not that he proved it by trying. Yugi listened to music at home sometimes and so did Yugi's Grandpa, but he had never heard this kind of music played back there. He was a bit out of his depth so he stationed himself at the bar and ordered a drink while Tristan and Jou wandered off to the dance floor. He watched everyone move and wanted to feel comfortable here but couldn't seem to.

As he watched everyone he started to feel a peculiar energy build up in him that may or may not have had something to do with the vodka sprite in his hand. He felt desperately that he wanted to dance or move or be part of something somehow but he had no idea how to do any of that or where to direct his energy within his body so it sat within him becoming shaky hands and laser-like focus. It was thanks to his focus that he noticed a familiar figure hovering at the edge of the dancefloor by the wall.

Of all the times he had run into Bakura he had never felt like he had such a lack of advantage before. Bakura looked right at home in this club as he stood tangled up with a beautiful woman. He was excited to see Bakura looking so comfortable and totally unlike how he was when they dueled. He looked at ease and mischievous but refreshingly not in a way that made you fear for your safety though he did fear for the virtue of that young woman.

He ordered another drink.

As their hands began to wander Yami thought to himself that this was yet another area where he felt he wasn't able to fully explore. He'd had his own body for months now and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't felt any desire. He had been nothing but a spirit for thousands of years and suddenly he had access to all these earthly sensations once again in all their intensity. It was part of what he kept seeking distractions for. He was lucky enough to have his own room but looking at Bakura he couldn't deny that another person was what he really needed. He could tell his stare was tactless and obvious but he didn't care.

He just couldn't grasp how Bakura had adapted so well and he couldn't take his eyes away. The difference between the man in front of him and the one he'd gotten to know, as much as he could claim to, all those months ago was insane. He allowed himself to admit that he was a bit taken in.

The thief felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck that he ignored for as long as he could in favor of touching and tasting the woman in front of him. Finally though he could take it no longer and threw his eyes over his shoulder for a second and did a double take. The Pharaoh was standing at the bar.

Yami was _inescapable,_ what on earth was he doing here? He looked out of place leaned up against the bar and clutching his drink with such intensity you'd think it was holy water. What made this impossibly more strange was the way Yami had been staring him down. Bakura thought of pretending not to have seen him but decided against it. That dumb look on the Pharaoh's face had disturbed him too much. The man was too easy to read.

Sighing Bakura disentangled himself from the woman muttering some excuse or another. He made his way over to Yami but not without checking his surroundings to make sure none of the teen dream team was around.

"What are you doing here?"

"Jou and Tristan invited me."

Great, Bakura was particularly popular with those two. He looked around again trying to spot them.

"Don't worry I lost sight of them, I think they don't want me to see what they get up to."

Bakura snorted.

"Who would."

Looking Yami over, Bakura found it difficult to leave although now that he knew Dumb and Dumber were here he felt he definitely should. Still, he'd never seen him look so uncomfortable. They always met in Yami's domain and did what he was good at. The king of games was built for the light but Bakura was made to thrive around people who want and they tend to come out at night. It was intriguing to notice what looked like uncertainty on the man.

"Why are you here?"

"I told you."

Bakura almost started laughing at that. It wasn't even funny. It was just that Yami was usually watching himself so intensely. He was always so careful especially around the thief. It made Bakura feel talked down to. Here though, Yami was so out of his element he obviously had very little if any energy left for playing holier than thou.

"Who was that girl?"

"Huh?"

The question caught him off guard, all his attention was focused on the Pharaoh and this weird little world they were creating by the bar, he had completely forgotten about her.

"The one you were with."

There was a moment of silence during which Yami felt the weight of Bakura's full attention. His gaze was punishing in its intensity. He wanted to think it was great that Bakura seemed to be so alive, but selfishly he wanted the upper hand again.

"You looked pretty hungry earlier Pharaoh."

He said it in Egyptian. It felt better in Egyptian. Dirtier and less dirty all at once. He felt like he was committing a crime, speaking about something vulgar to this dignified man and in the language that recognized him as chosen by the gods. It was something he could get used to.

The Pharaoh didn't know what to say. He _was_ hungry, but he still wanted to retort. Unable to think of one, he gaped at Bakura looking indignant before turning his attention to his drink. A distraction was better than having to meet the thief's eyes any longer.

Yami had no way of knowing the effect that short lived look had on the thief. Bakura didn't know why but that expression hit him pretty hard. He had never gotten the Pharaoh to make a face like that before. The man was actually at a loss for words even if only for a short time. It made him want to push his luck and he felt a grin spread across his face that he didn't bother to temper. Yami quickly remembered himself and traded shock for irritation.

"So did you, thief. It looked like you meant to devour her."

He realized too late what he had called Bakura and briefly wondered if it would upset him but it was more reflex than genuine concern. It seemed he was irritated and yes, _hungry_, enough to admit he didn't really care right now. When did he get so shaken up? He didn't even remember. The thief had put him on edge with next to no effort.

The energy surrounding Yami was changing rapidly and it would take a fool not to notice. Bakura was standing way too close.

"She your type or something?"

Yami let out a sharp exhale and gave Bakura a look that made up his mind before he'd asked the question. The thief closed the short distance between them and grabbed hold of the Pharaoh's bottom lip between his teeth. The kiss lasted for only a second. It began and ended with high energy there was no rise or fall. It was a challenge and one that Yami was in no state of mind to refuse. He grabbed Bakura's arm, hauling him across the bar to the mens bathroom and into a stall without even a thought for those that stared at them before the lock clicked into place hiding the two away to an extent.

Bakura pinned Yami to the door of the stall, pressing his whole body into him. The contact was invigorating and Yami put his hands on either side of Bakura's face as they kissed, revelling in the feeling of having his hands full of someone else. Not full enough though. Bakura tilted his head back to gasp for air, pulling his head from those impossibly warm hands that had been tugging at his hair and pressing at the side of his face. While his head was back Yami took advantage of the position and lowered his head to his neck. He bit and sucked on it while he snuck his hands under Bakura's shirt.

Yami couldn't get enough of touching somebody _finally _and he wasn't shy in exploring the thief's body. He ran his hands over his back before trailing them up the man's side and pinching a nipple between his fingers. Bakura let out a sharp breath and ground his hips into the Pharaoh creating a friction between their clothed arousals that made Yami stop what he was doing.

Bakura put on a smug smile and kept pace with his grinding as the Pharaoh tortured his chest chasing another sound from the thief's mouth. A particularly rough pinch made Bakura's movements stutter and as revenge he unzipped the Pharaoh's fly and shoved his hand into his pants grabbing his arousal. The pharaoh groaned and pulled the thief's mouth to his again. It was sloppier now that the tension had gotten so high and he caught the thief's lips between his teeth repeatedly to keep them from drifting apart. Their lips were red and swollen now but it was particularly noticeable on Bakura with as pale as he was.

Vaguely he noticed the bathroom door opening and reminded himself to keep his voice down. As it were it would be hard to disguise the heavy breathing though. Bakura fully pulled Yami out of his pants when two voices drifted over to them.

"Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know, maybe he met someone."

It sounded like-

"Do you think Yami's the hookup type?"

Yami froze. His eyes went wide and he removed his mouth from Bakura completely. This had to be the worst case scenario. He held his breath and listened carefully intending to wait for the pair to leave before doing anything more.

Bakura would have none of this though and he lowered himself to his knees, not caring people would be able to tell what they were doing from their feet under the stall door. He licked his hand and then wrapped it around Yami's length before he reached out with his tongue to play with the tip. Groaning, Yami dug a hand into Bakura's hair to stop him just as the thief removed his own hand and swallowed Yami all the way down so pubic hair tickled his nose.

He whispered a string of Egyptian curses as Bakura began to set a rhythm of licking and sucking. He pulled all the way off of the Pharaoh just to let it bounce and play on his lips, the cold air sending Yami a shock that was only intensified when the thief dove back down swallowing him again. The Pharaoh was on the edge now but refused to be at Bakura's mercy any longer.

He yanked the thief up by his hair causing the man to let out a groan. Jou and Tristan were washing their hands now and they may or may not have heard that one over the rush of the water in the sink. He figured it was impossible for them not to guess what was happening but the likeliness of them guessing it was him? Next to none.

He reversed their positions pinning Bakura to the door and hastily undid the clasp on his pants. Yami didn't have any experience with men, not that he had much experience in general, but he knew what to do for himself so he figured Bakura couldn't be too different.

He didn't want to kneel on the floor though, especially not exposed as he was, so he sat on the toilet and pulled Bakura forward so he was standing above him. The other man tried to sit down but Yami pushed him upright and ran his tongue along the underside of Bakura's dick experimentally. The sight of the Pharaoh like this was doing things to Bakura even without Yami taking him in his mouth so he steeled himself, determined not to come first.

Yami knew he would not be able to put it all in his mouth like Bakura had done so instead he put his hands to work alongside his mouth. One worked the base, spreading his spit from the top so that Bakura was slick in his hands. The other alternated between caressing the thief's thigh and playing with his balls. Meanwhile he was relentlessly licking and sucking. It was a calculated offense and Bakura was shaking from the effort of holding himself back. He bent forward at the waist placing a hand on Yami's shoulder and the other on the wall behind him buckling a little. The action made Yami's dick jump, he couldn't believe he had the thief like this and he hummed around the member in his mouth in satisfaction.

"_Fuck_"

It just slipped out. Bakura didn't think Yami would be that good at this. As a matter of fact, he had no right to be so good at this. The pair heard an awkward cough and a mumbled "let's get out of here" before the door opened and closed again finally leaving them alone.

Having had enough of this and still feeling determined not to be the first to finish Bakura grabbed Yami's head yanking him off his dick and plopped down onto his lap frowning immensely at the self satisfied smirk on Yami's face. Bakura wanted revenge but wasn't sure he could take too much more of this so he spit into his hand and grabbed both of them together. He set an aggressive pace and leaned forward capturing the Pharaoh's lips in another bruising kiss.

Their panting became more and more frantic and Bakura ground his hips into his fist and against Yami not letting up in the slightest. Yami touched and teased Bakura all over and it was when his fingers began worrying those now hypersensitive nipples that Bakura came and groaned into Yami's mouth. The sound of Bakura's pleasure and the sight of him writhing in his lap sent Yami over the edge not long after.

Still panting, Bakura grabbed some toilet paper and cleaned them up, dropping the trash in the toilet. Slowly they fixed their clothes and washed up as best they could. Bakura left first and told Yami to wait a bit before he did the same. When he finally found himself back at the bar Jou and Tristan found him in minutes.

"Yami! Man we've been looking all over you!"

The three of them spent about an hour or two more at the club with Yami still mostly staying anchored to the bar before deciding to head back to Yugi's place where they would all spend the night.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Their first duel together after that night was the strangest one. Yami didn't know what to expect so he was a bit on edge when he made his way up to Ryo and Bakura's apartment. They usually met during school days to avoid the teens but Yami found himself wishing Yugi was around so he could borrow some of his calm.

Bakura seemed disappointingly at ease during their game and it was a bit irritating. Yami wasn't sure how he wanted him to react but it wasn't this. He threw his focus into the game.

Well he tried to.

Bakura was enjoying this duel immensely. He noticed the Pharaoh was on edge as soon as he arrived but decided he would let the man bring it up himself. This way he got to watch that deep frown of his while he tried to focus on the cards. When he actually saw Yami _hesitate _before a move he couldn't stay silent any longer. To think this was all over some bedroom, or I guess bathroom, antics. Clearly he should've slept with him a long time ago and then maybe he'd have come out on top of more duels.

"You seem distracted Pharaoh."

Yami looked up at Bakura from his cards abruptly, frowning impossibly deeper. It was hilarious and Bakura felt compelled to tease him.

"Is this all it takes to beat the King of Games?"

Yami turned his attention back to his cards. He was behind but he'd won from worse places before. He'd win this game. He had to now that Bakura had noticed his nerves.

"You haven't beaten me yet thief, don't get ahead of yourself."

The use of the name thief was quickly becoming a marker for Bakura that he was actually getting under Yami's skin and getting him to behave a little more honestly. Today would be fun.

Yami did win but it didn't make him feel better. Once the familiar rhythm of competition died down he felt a bit . . . adrift. They usually didn't spend much time together after they had finished their game but Yami wasn't ready to leave. He wanted something but wasn't sure what. That voice that he normally heard was telling him he had business here only what that business was he had no idea. Maybe he wanted to talk but then what about? He didn't think they'd start dating or anything like that so why bother asking? He knew what the other night had been. They were just letting off steam like Bakura did with so many others. He couldn't think of anything to say and so he took his time collecting his cards.

"Is there something you want Pharaoh?"

Bakura looked too smug for his own good.

"No."

Yami collected his things with more speed now and quickly made his exit leaving Bakura alone in Ryo's apartment once again.

He was walking home which gave him too much time with his own thoughts. What exactly was he hoping to get from Bakura? Maybe he was just acting strange because it isn't exactly everyday you hook up with your ex-nemesis. He would have to manage his feelings the next time they dueled because if it started to affect his game that would upset him more than anything. The thought of losing to the already smug looking thief added some aggression to his stride as he headed home.

Whether he had actually managed to calm down or whether the force of his willpower helped him ignore whatever had been bothering him, he was normal during the next duel. Yami had almost forgotten about the whole thing actually until about a week later.

Bakura had told Ryo that he wouldn't be home that night so in a rare gesture, Ryo had invited the gang over to study for a test they had coming up. Yami wasn't taking the test and so didn't have a reason to come but went anyway. He said it would be boring at the game shop alone.

He wasn't an unwelcomed addition by any means. Quite the contrary in fact. The Pharaoh was a comforting presence, especially now that'd he'd mellowed out some and didn't constantly seem to need a distraction.

While the teens tried to study, Yami busied himself with the TV. Occasionally someone would inevitably lose interest in studying and wander over to him keeping him company for a moment. When they were focused Yami listened to what they were studying and was glad he didn't need to understand it. Even Anzu looked a bit nervous.

Around 2 AM when the studying was winding down and everyone was getting ready to go to sleep Yami found himself standing in the kitchen near the front door which is why he was the only one to notice it open.

Everything Bakura did was smooth and soundless and when he entered the apartment Yami felt compelled to touch him to make sure he really was flesh and blood. He resisted of course but still he was fascinated. How could this man move through the world seemingly without touching it?

Bakura saw the teens before he saw Yami and froze in his spot by the door. He really didn't want to deal with this. He was happy to avoid them for the rest of his life if he had to in order to keep from having to see himself through their eyes again. To them he was the villain and he didn't feel compelled to challenge that but he didn't want to be subjected to it either. Not anymore.

Yami watched him hesitate by the door and felt a surge of concern when he saw what looked like shame flit across the other man's face. The others had still yet to notice Bakura standing with the door open and the handle still in his grasp so Yami took hold from the other side and began to close the it.

"Wait a moment."

He whispered it to Bakura before gently shutting it all the way and then strode over to where the teens were arguing over who got what couch.

"Aibou I think I might head back to the game shop to sleep."

"Really? It's already so late."

His voice was drained from all the hours of focus.

"Yeah, but you guys are headed to school tomorrow anyway and I'd rather sleep in till my shift starts."

"Oh that makes sense. Sorry, I sort of forgot you wouldn't be coming to school with us."

Yugi chuckled a bit and stretched out in his seat reaching his arms way out over his head. He was fending off sleep for just long enough to finish talking.

"Here's the keys. Be careful going home."

And just like that Yugi had no energy left for coherent thought. Ryo lent Anzu his bed and had brought down a futon that Jou was taking. Tristan was laid all the way out on one couch which left Yugi and Ryo to curl up at opposite ends of the longer one that was left unoccupied. Yami couldn't help but stare at the pair and the ease and comfort with which they shared the space.

When he opened the door Bakura was still there only now he was lost in thought and staring at the sky. His attention snapped to the Pharaoh quickly though and the relatively calm expression he'd had morphed into irritation.

He was a little bit mad at how well he'd obeyed that "wait here". This was his house and he should be telling people to wait or not to wait. He didn't like seeing all these kids in his house either. It made the place look unrecognizable to him. They were all so comfortable, relaxed, and happy knowing he wouldn't intrude. It was like just his being there made it less of a home. Stumbling onto them like this, it felt like Ryo had to wait till the thief's back was turned to live in this small way. Bakura didn't like the idea of being someone you needed to hide happiness from even if it did make sense.

"They're all spending the night here. Do you want to sleep at the game shop? That's where I'm headed."

He grunted his agreement and the two began their walk. The shop wasn't far and the two seemed content to make the journey in silence. Bakura was more surprised than he let on. Sleeping at the game shop was a very trusting offer.

Once there Yami offered the couch. Yugi wouldn't be home till after school and Yugi's grandpa wouldn't be back in town for a week. Bakura accepted and settled down drifting off with little effort.

Yami was the first to wake up that day. He woke up before sunrise like he used to when he had spent all those nights with the thief before. Like he was afraid Bakura would disappear if he slept in. He had good reason to think the thief might make a swift getaway in the early morning but it shouldn't matter now that they were both home and both safe. Bakura was an adult and could do whatever he wanted to. He made himself stay in bed till it was light out at least. He was exhausted anyway so he fell back to sleep easily. It was around 10 when he woke up again.

When he went downstairs Bakura was gone as he thought he'd be. Yami was left alone with his thoughts and the thief's absence had little effect on how much of the Pharaoh's mind he occupied.

He was ready to admit it. Bakura was intriguing. He wanted to know more about the man and he wouldn't mind if things were physical between the two more often either. Maybe saying he wanted to know more wasn't quite it. He didn't have questions per say. He had already seen where the man grew up and had dove maybe too far into his past. It was more that the space between what he thought he knew about the thief before and who the thief was now really caught his attention. He wondered what he'd be like in even a few months from now. When he let himself get carried away he wondered if the man would ever fit into their friend group.

This was uncharted territory.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

At their next duel Yami found himself in a very similar position to the game they had right after their bathroom rendezvous. He was moving slowly and uncertainly and Bakura was unfortunately very good at reading his moods.

"Everything alright Pharaoh?"

The thief wore that smug look again but Yami wouldn't tuck tail this time.

"Yes, just thinking."

"Not about the game I'd guess."

"No. I was thinking about you."

That caught Bakura off guard and he looked startled just long enough for Yami to notice before he broke into a subtle grin. Messing with the Pharaoh would be fun whether or not he managed to make him look like a deer in headlights.

"You'll lose like that."

He met the Pharaoh's eyes which turned out to be a mistake. Yami pinned him to his seat with the look on his face.

It was like the man could only have one dumb thought at a time and right now it looked like all he was thinking about was playing Bakura's game of want like they had before. This wasn't entirely out of the blue but it was an abrupt shift in tone and it made the thief wonder if he had been carrying this energy neatly suppressed behind his proper and regal act for a while now. The thought was, admittedly, exciting.

Yami didn't make any move to stand or approach the thief though and that made Bakura so much more uncomfortable than what Yami was expressing. Was he going to do anything at all or just sit there forcing Bakura to sit there as well. If they were going to do something it'd be nice to just get to it.

His readiness to be around the Pharaoh and now to literally be _with_ the Pharaoh didn't shock him as much as it should have thanks to the rollercoaster this year was turning out to be, but still part of him found all this bizarre.

Memories of the last time he'd seen this look came flooding back to Bakura and he turned his eyes away from the man across from him to look at the cards. He wouldn't be the one to give in, at least not today.

Miraculously they did finish the game and somehow with even more flourish than usual. Yami went home and the day ended without incident. It was beyond frustrating and it seemed like Yami's admission had cast a permanent spell on the two. The tension was becoming unbearable. It took maybe two more duels of a similar nature before Bakura caved.

As soon as Yami opened the door Bakura grabbed him by the collar and shoved him up against the wall. His pride had done its bit and could take little more strain. Just how long had the Pharaoh been willing to wait?

This quickly became normal for them. They'd duel and hook up or just hook up or sometimes just duel. It wasn't long before Yami got himself a cell phone and then Bakura would even make the occasional late night visit to the game shop. They didn't label what they were doing. They didn't really talk about it. They didn't really think about it.

That was until Bakura stopped contacting Yami out of the blue. Without a single word as to why Bakura cut off all communication. No duels, no visits, no texts; nothing.

Naturally this didn't sit well with the Pharaoh. They had actually begun to have fun together and it's not like they'd gotten in a fight or something. He never thought he'd say something like this but he missed the thief.

He loved spending time with the gang but they were teenagers and he enjoyed their company the way one might enjoy spending time with family. He felt like an older brother and he loved that and he loved looking after Yugi and Ryo too, they both were so small and kind he felt compelled to protect them. But he wasn't just this older brother figure he was a person. Bakura made him feel like a person. He felt relaxed around him. He felt seen.

It had been a while since he'd asked Ryo how Bakura was. They'd had their own bodies for quite some time now so it was natural that he'd ask less and besides, he usually had his curiosity satisfied in person. When Bakura started avoiding him though he texted Ryo just to touch base. After asking how Ryo himself was doing he threw out his question casually.

"How's Bakura these days?"

"He's been the same."

Yami couldn't even think of what to say back for a while.

Could that be true? It was really eating at him. Was it really no big deal for Bakura? He knew the thief wasn't the "friends" type but he thought they were starting to look like that. Honestly he thought they were starting to look like more than that and it was filling him with nervous excitement.

On the one hand he wanted to get closer to Bakura so the fact that they were getting along was great. But there was still the fact that they had been keeping this a secret from everyone they knew. He really wanted to talk to Yugi about what was going on between them and he wanted Bakura to have some real friends but maybe he was getting carried away. He found himself worrying over what was ok to want. He wasn't sure what might be too much and for good reason. A few months ago he would've thought sleeping with Bakura would be unrealistic and potentially unsafe. Bakura kept changing so much and that only served to confuse his ideas of what he could expect from the thief.

When he had gone to convince Bakura to leave the card he'd had a goal in mind and that gave him a place to direct his energy and kept his mind clear and focused. Now though he had no goal he could name. He knew, at least right now, that he wanted to take things a step further but he felt he might be getting ahead of himself. He actually couldn't describe what that next step would look like but he figured it would feel like trust. Maybe that was asking for a bit much and Bakura didn't even seem to be ready for that level of intimacy.

Oh.

Maybe that's why he'd stopped contacting Yami. It did make sense. Yami was good at reading people during games but in his personal life he had a tendency to come on a bit strong and only notice how he might have made people feel in retrospect. None of the teens had told him he was being a bit intense when he first got his body. He'd realized one day on his own when they all were "busy" and he had some time to himself that "absence makes the heart grow fonder" was really starting to describe their attitude towards him.

It was the same now with the thief. With time to think he realized maybe he'd given Bakura a bit too much trust too soon and it moved him to also realize that the thief must have been either scared or overwhelmed and had not seen the Pharaoh's blind faith as an invitation to take advantage. It was proof enough to him that he had made the right decision even though he may have made it before Bakura was ready to hear it.

Briefly his voice of reason reminded him not to make assumptions about what others were thinking so he switched his train of thought and began worrying over how to get Bakura to talk to him again. Honestly though he couldn't think of much that made sense to him other than being straightforward. He'd already tried going over when they'd usually duel but Bakura either hadn't been there or hadn't answered the door. He didn't know where to find the man outside of his home so he guessed he'd have to hope Bakura would read a text message. So far he'd sent what he considered to be a reasonable amount. Just a couple hellos before he realized he was being ignored and then an "is something wrong".

He typed and retyped the beginning of a message.

"Bakura I know you don't like to talk but what's going on?"

Would the thief even respond to something like that? It didn't feel like enough.

He stared at the draft wanting to flesh it out maybe? But at the moment he couldn't think of anything else to say. He couldn't think of anything he wanted to talk about that could be put into words. He didn't think it needed to be said that he was there if only Bakura would ask. Yami took a bit of pride in being easy to read and he knew he was consistent. Bakura could read him well. Everything that needed to be said had been said. The question at hand now was whether the thief didn't want to be around Yami because he didn't feel the same way or if he had fled because he did. Bakura wasn't the type to enjoy exposing a weakness and he was certainly the type to consider intimacy weakness at least as of right now. But was Yami telling himself what he wanted to hear?

A text didn't feel right. He was hitting a wall and he figured if they just met up in person he might be able to work this out.

He typed up a new message.

"I'll be at Ryo's at the usual time tomorrow."

When he knocked on the door the next day he wasn't surprised to be met with silence. He didn't have another plan but didn't want to leave so he sat down in front of the door. Somebody would have to go in or out eventually. He just hoped that "somebody" would be the thief and that "eventually" would be before Ryo got home from school. He didn't want to explain himself to the teen and he also didn't want to break Bakura's trust by telling Ryo when he obviously wanted their "whatever this was" kept secret.

He sat for forever in front of that door till, finally, it opened.

"Ryo will be home soon."

Was the clipped greeting he got when the support fell away from his back.

Yami didn't say anything. He just looked up at Bakura from his seat on the floor.

Bakura wanted to shut the door in his face but other parts of him had missed that face and wanted to do different sorts of things to it. This had gotten bad. Bakura may like to guard his emotions but that didn't mean he couldn't recognize them. He had started to like the Pharaoh. He didn't _like_ anybody. He wasn't supposed to still want these kinds of things.

He knew, logically, that the way he reacted in the card had proved that he did want these things. He did want to belong and to be known and to be loved, but he couldn't take it. It was too much. Yami was too much. Why was he always everywhere? Why couldn't he get away from him?

Ryo would be home soon and he needed to close the door.

Yami was afraid to stand and break Bakura's concentration but he was even more afraid that he'd close the door. He stood and made a small move to enter the apartment. He wanted it to be clear to Bakura that he wouldn't force his way in but he also didn't want to let the moment pass. He stepped slowly forward and Bakura, to his surprise, stepped aside and let him into the house.

Once inside Yami again could think of absolutely nothing to say.

"Did you come here just to gape at me like a fish in my living room?"

"I came here to duel like usual."

Yami didn't think about it much before he said it. He hoped his intention was clear. He came here to show that he still wanted this. He had brought his normalcy because it was all he could think to offer.

He sat down in their spot and pulled out his deck. Bakura sat with him quietly bewildered that Yami had brought his cards.

"I don't want to duel today."

Yami didn't miss a beat.

"You've got something else in mind?"

Of course not. He stayed silent for a bit but a glance at his phone reminded him of why he'd opened the door in the first place.

"Ryo will be home soon so if we have to do this we can't do it here."

That was definitely not a rejection and it gave Yami hope.

"Ok let's go then."

Yami stuck his cards into his pocket and waited for Bakura to grab his own along with a set of keys before he opened the door. Bakura didn't ask where they were going.

They ended up at a park. Yami picked a quiet corner and sat down in the grass. Bakura sat opposite him and they began their game in silence. By the time they finished Yami was starving. He'd been waiting for Bakura all afternoon and hadn't eaten lunch. It was a bit early for dinner but not too much so.

"I'm hungry."

"So?"

"Let's eat something."

"I agreed to a duel and that's it."

Bakura wasn't sure what to make of all this. Yami wasn't trying to ask why he'd disappeared or talk or anything. It irritated him to think that he'd probably already figured out the reason on his own. Surprisingly though it wasn't enough to make him want to leave. He'd much rather eat a meal with Yami than go home and not talk to Ryo as he shuffled around in the kitchen. Being alone with Ryo was worse than being alone by himself for a number of reasons. Mostly though it was because Ryo was very kind and very forgiving. He could potentially be for Bakura what Yugi was to Yami and the only reason he wasn't was because of Bakura himself.

Yeah, he could go for some food.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The two of them headed to a nearby convenience store where they picked up enough to keep them satisfied and, at Yami's insistence, they took their food back to the park. They were solidly into summer now and the heat was almost a bit too much. Sitting side by side in the sun like this made Yami think of the vision once again but he knew better than to bring it up.

They ate in silence which was not unusual. Nor was the aggressive stare Bakura had fixed on Yami. It made relaxing slightly more difficult for the Pharaoh but he wouldn't ask what was on the man's mind. If it was going to come up it would on it's own.

After they finished eating neither of them made a move to get up. They sat like that together till the sun set. At some point they had laid down in the grass side by side and it was beginning to look like they'd stay there all night.

The ball was in Bakura's court. Yami had presented his piece by showing up at his doorstep and now the only thing left was for the thief to accept him or reject him. Bakura wanted to want to reject him but he definitely didn't. It had taken a lot of strength to do it the first time and he had done it impulsively, without thinking about how much of his life the Pharaoh had come to take up.

The past few weeks had been difficult. He found himself glaring at his phone a lot and having to find things to keep his mind occupied. Now that he was in front of the man again it was hard to willingly put down what he had forced himself to let go of before. Around Yami he was dangerously close to happiness and he had a whole slew of reasons why this was a bad idea. He repeated them like mantras when he wanted to cave in. Unfortunately though, the reasons he disliked the Pharaoh and the reasons he liked him seemed to overlap.

First off he couldn't stand how uppity the man could be, but he did really like being the only one to make him lose his composure. He also hated how honest the Pharaoh was, but that also made him easy to understand and meant that he knew exactly how he made the man feel which was nice to say the least. Bakura didn't like surprises very much.

He definitely also hated how goddamn persistent Yami was. He just always seemed to be there and to be too patient. It was the reason he had failed to shake him off in the card and the reason he was failing again now. If he wasn't like this though, Bakura wouldn't have ever gotten out of the card and he never would've gotten his freedom back. Or even if he did, he'd be alone right now and he didn't want to be alone anymore.

It was hard to put all his energy into getting the man to leave when that was obviously not what he really wanted. Now they were sitting in the park after dark not saying anything because just like always the Pharaoh was not going to be the one to give up.

Of course the Pharaoh was sure about this. He was sure about everything he did it seemed.

Yami was getting a bit impatient to be honest but luckily it was a nice night and this was as good a time as any to stargaze. Bakura was clearly deep in thought so he let his own mind wander. He thought about the Bakura who stole to impress the girl he liked and made all those villagers smile and wondered what would have happened if they'd met under different circumstances. Could this have been easier back then if nothing so cruel had ever happened to Bakura and the two had met as regular children? But then maybe they wouldn't have met. He forgets he was a prince. There would have been no cause for the two of them to interact. Would he even be as drawn to the thief if he didn't feel that the man connected him to his past in a way? Obviously it would have been better if nothing underhanded had ever happened in the first place but it had and Yami felt like it wasn't so bad. He had fewer bad memories than Bakura obviously but he couldn't help but feel selfishishly that if the thief would let them find whatever they could in each other it might be even better than "not bad".

He'd sit here for as long as it took to get an answer. He didn't dare reach for his phone to let Yugi know where he was. Instead he reached out to Yugi through the mind link and said "_I'll be home late" _before he closed the door, so to speak, on the connection again to give himself some privacy.

It was getting really late and neither of them had said anything since dinner. Yami didn't really want to sleep outside and he also didn't know how well he'd manage an all nighter with such little stimulation if that's where this was headed. He stifled a yawn and it was the loudest he'd been in some time. The noise seemed to shake Bakura from his thoughts and he sat up suddenly so Yami sat up as well. Bakura got to his feet and stared down at Yami expectantly. Yami was on high alert and stood waiting to hear his verdict but the thief didn't say anything. Instead he started walking and the Pharaoh stood by himself confused. Was this his answer?

Bakura got maybe 10 feet away before angrily looking over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

Yami remained silent.

"Let's go you idiot Pharaoh."

Yami was so overtaken with relief he completely ignored the aggression in Bakura's tone. He started walking after Bakura at a brisk pace so he could catch up but the thief was walking very fast himself so he ended up tailing behind him.

Bakura actually hadn't yet come to a conscious decision when Yami yawned but he felt like he had to do _something_ and the sound had startled him into action. His feet were moving on their own and he let them lead the way. They seemed sure of themselves at least even if he himself was refusing to think.

Soon the two were outside of the game shop. Yami went in first to check if anyone was home. Yugi was back but he was already in bed. The pair already had a system for getting Bakura into the house late at night so they fell into the familiar routine.

The routine was basically "let Bakura do it himself". Bakura was better at getting in and out of places undetected than Yami was at silently going down the stairs.

Yami was in his bedroom when Bakura came up and there was a strange and new tension in the air. Yami was lying in bed so Bakura climbed in as well. They were almost reluctant to touch.

Yami moved first.

He placed a hand on the side of Bakura's neck. His thumb rested just over Bakura's ear and his fingers dug into his hair. His hand slid forward to trace his jaw and then up again to stroke the side of his face. His touches were greedy. He pressed his whole palm into the man trying to feel as much as possible.

Yami was usually tender in the bedroom but after the night they'd had Bakura felt freshly surprised by it. Every touch was just a little more startling tonight. He let Yami run his hands all over him and the Pharaoh had no complaints about that. He traced every inch of the man starting with his face and moving down to rub his shoulders and stroke down over his arms. He pushed his hands under the thief's shirt before lifting it up over his head.

Yami moved to straddle Bakura and the spell of stillness that his hands had cast finally broke. The thief reached up to pull Yami down into a kiss. There were no teeth this time but it was no less intense. They were hungry and all they wanted to do was touch no matter how. They barely came apart for air.

Bakura ground up into Yami and removed his shirt so they were on equal footing but that wouldn't last long. He snuck a hand down to undo the Pharaohs zipper and took him in his hand, relishing in the moan he got as reward. This was an area where he couldn't pretend to dislike the Pharaohs honesty. He tugged down the man's pants as much as he could with their position and leaned forward to press kisses into his collarbone while his fingers toyed with the tip of Yami's length.

He stopped just long enough to grab a bottle of lube they kept by the bed and moved his other hand to prod at Yami's entrance.

Yami was coming undone. It had already been a while since they'd last been together like this and now Bakura wasn't holding back. Bakura slipped one and then two fingers into Yami and he was fighting desperately not to come. When Bakura brushed past his prostate he almost lost it and quickly removed Bakura's hands from their posts. He crawled off the man to compose himself some but also so he could fully remove his pants and the thief's as well.

He crawled back on top of Bakura and, after grabbing a condom and a bit more lube, sat himself fully onto Bakura's arousal. The thief let out a low moan as Yami sank down and after pausing for a moment started moving at a pace that he thought he could handle without coming too fast. Bakura seemed to worry about the same thing and had his brow knitted in concentration. It had been a while.

Yami still felt like he might be a bit closer to the finish line so he stopped his movements completely and all you could hear in the room was their panting. He had discovered the thief's surprising weak spot the first night they were together and he needed something to make sure the man was just as worked up as him. He reached down to play with the thief's nipples and place sloppy kisses on his neck moving on Bakura's length erratically and only when he felt like it. Bakura was writhing and arching up into him now and it seemed like they were both close. Yami reached down to stroke himself and finally took his hands away from the other man. He started riding Bakura earnestly and with each hit to his prostate he was getting closer and closer till finally he couldn't hold it anymore. The way he clenched around the thief as he came brought the other man to completion shortly thereafter.

Yami slid off Bakura to lay by his side. The act had granted Yami the relief of knowing his feelings were returned and granted Bakura relief from having to think about it. They both fell asleep feeling peaceful.

In the morning Yami woke up like he usually did when he was with the thief. The sun had yet to rise. The habit he'd developed in the card had been hammered home when they had been sleeping together under more ambiguous terms, which was saying a lot considering they had still failed to talk at all about what they were doing. He woke up early because if the thief was going to leave early in the morning he at least wanted to see it. He didn't want to wake up and realize he was gone.

Bakura had honestly not noticed that his habit of early morning disappearances bothered Yami at all. There was nothing strange to him about being on the alert or the defensive. He was a very light sleeper at the best of times. To Yami though this hyper vigilance was a show of distrust towards him. He wanted to know that Bakura felt safe with him and trusted him so he forced himself back to sleep. He wanted to know if Bakura believed in him. He couldn't chase the man forever.

He woke up again hours later with the sun warming the room. He was reluctant to open his eyes so he lay there trying to dive back into sleep.

He couldn't feel the thief.

Yami got out of bed with a sigh, this wasn't exactly how he'd pictured things going.

He went through the day in a daze. He just couldn't stop thinking. Would Bakura even come back? They hadn't actually cleared up the whole avoidance thing. Yugi noticed how preoccupied Yami was but decided to let the man have his space. He went back to bed early, he was useless right now, and lay there not falling asleep for some time. Around midnight he felt the bed dip and it shocked him into sitting up.

Bakura jumped startled and let out a low curse.

"God Yami, go back to sleep."

With that he crawled into bed beside the Pharaoh unaware that Yami had taken this morning to be a rejection. Bakura may have hesitated to make his decision but he had made it.

The thief king was by his side and not thinking of leaving anytime soon.

Thanks to anyone who made it this far! This was my first fanfiction and my first time writing anything explicit so I'm pretty happy with how it turned out! Yugioh fanfiction was what I read first when I got into fanfiction back in like 2009ish and darkshipping has always been one of my favorite pairings or probably my ultimate favorite pairing actually because I love the dynamic of enemies to lovers. I hope you enjoyed reading this! I might write more about Bakura learning to trust but I'm not sure yet and it would probably be another story anyway.


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